1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a vehicle seat assembly, and more particularly to a vehicle seat assembly having a vehicle occupant sensing system with a biasing pad.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automotive vehicles employ seating systems that accommodate the passengers of the vehicle. The seating systems include restraint systems that are calculated to restrain and protect the occupants in the event of a collision. The primary restraint system commonly employed in most vehicles today is the seatbelt. Seatbelts usually include a lap belt and a shoulder belt extending diagonally across the occupant's torso from one end of the lap belt to a mounting structure located proximate to the occupant's opposite shoulder.
In addition, automotive vehicles may include supplemental restraint systems. The most common supplemental restraint system employed in automotive vehicles today is the inflatable airbag. In the event of a collision, the airbags are deployed as an additional means of restraining and protecting the occupants of the vehicle. Originally, the supplemental inflatable restraints (airbags) were deployed in the event of a collision, whether or not any given seat was occupied. These supplemental inflatable restraints and their associated deployment systems are expensive and over time this deployment strategy was deemed not to be cost effective. Thus, there became a recognized need in the art for a means to selectively control the deployment of the airbags such that deployment occurs only when the seat is occupied.
Partially in response to this need, vehicle safety systems have been proposed that are capable of detecting whether or not a given seat is occupied. The systems act as a switch in controlling the deployment of a corresponding air bag. If the occupant sensing device detects that a seat is unoccupied during a collision, it can prevent the corresponding air bag from deploying, thereby saving the vehicle owner the unnecessary cost of replacing the expended air bag.
Furthermore, many airbag deployment forces and speeds have generally been optimized to restrain one hundred eighty pound males because the one hundred eighty pound male represents the mean average for all types of vehicle occupants. However, the airbag deployment force and speed required to restrain a one hundred eighty pound male exceeds that which are required to restrain smaller occupants, such as some females and small children. Thus, there became a recognized need in the art for occupant sensing systems that could be used to selectively control the deployment of the airbags when a person below a predetermined weight occupies the seat.
Accordingly, other vehicle safety systems have been proposed that are capable of detecting the weight of an occupant. In one such air bag system, if the occupant's weight falls below a predetermined level, then the system can suppress the inflation of the air bag or will prevent the air bag from deploying at all. This reduces the risk of injury that the inflating air bag could otherwise cause to the smaller-sized occupant.
Also, many airbag deployment forces and speeds have generally been optimized to restrain a person sitting generally upright toward the back of the seat. However, the airbag deployment force and speed may inappropriately restrain a person sitting otherwise. Thus, there became a recognized need in the art for a way to selectively control the deployment of an airbag depending on the occupant's sitting position.
Partially in response to this need, other vehicle safety systems have been proposed that are capable of detecting the position of an occupant within a seat. For example, if the system detects that the occupant is positioned toward the front of the seat, the system will suppress the inflation of the air bag or will prevent the air bag from deploying at all. This reduces the risk of injury that the inflating air bag could otherwise cause to the occupant. It will be appreciated that these occupant sensing systems provide valuable data, allowing the vehicle safety systems to function more effectively to reduce injuries to vehicle occupants.
One example of an occupant sensing system is shown and described in the published patent application having U.S. Ser. No. 10/249,527 and Publication No. US2003/0196495 A1 filed in the name of Saunders et al. The Saunders et al. application discloses a method and apparatus for sensing seat occupancy including an array of sensor/emitter pairs that are each supported within a pre-assembled one-piece cylinder-shaped housing. The housing is adapted to be mounted within the seat cushion, extending from the B-surface toward the A-surface of the seat cushion. The sensor/emitter pair supported in the housing includes an emitter that is mounted within the seat cushion and spaced below the upper or A-surface of the seat cushion. In addition, the sensor is also electrically connected to a flexible circuit and supported by the housing within the seat cushion but spaced below the emitter. The cylindrical housing is formed of a compressible, rubber-like material that is responsive to loads placed on the upper surface of the seat cushion. The housing compresses in response to a load on the seat cushion. The load is detected through movement of the emitter toward the sensor as the housing is compressed. The housing is sufficiently resilient to restore the emitter to full height when no load is applied to the upper surface of the seat cushion. The Saunders et al. system also includes a processor that is electrically connected to the flexible circuit, and the processor receives the sensor signals and interprets the signals to produce an output to indicate the presence of an occupant in the seat.
Although vehicle seat assemblies with occupant sensing systems of the prior art have generally worked for their intended purposes, problems still remain. For instance, occupant sensing systems, such as the Saunders et al. system, include a significant number of components. Assembly of these systems can be time consuming and costly as a result. Therefore, there is an ongoing need in the art for a vehicle seat assembly with a reduced part count.
Furthermore, the load bearing response of the occupant sensing system may need adjustment. In the case of the Saunders et al. system, the housing of each sensor/emitter can be exchanged with housings exhibiting a different resiliency. However, exchanging each housing would likely be time consuming and costly. Therefore, there is an ongoing need in the art for an occupant sensing system that can be adjusted to alter its load bearing response more easily and at lower cost.